Breastfeeding (Lactational Amenorrhea Method (LAM)) vs Symptothermal method

I loved using Natural Cycles as it let my body just be itself. It was very effective for four and a half years…until I unexpectedly got pregnant! I will fully admit though we would occasionally take risks on early red days, and we know where we went wrong the month I became pregnant (travelling with time and environment changes led to confusing temperature readings coupled with not using enough caution). The only downsides of NC for me were needing to be on a predictable routine for morning thermometer readings (may be challenging for those travelling a lot or on shift work) and we had to use condoms or abstain during ovulation - which is of course the peak time for when you want some action! Overall though I would recommend it and will probably resume using it once our sleep schedule normalises with our beloved new baby. Having been on the pill and using a copper iud for years, it’s just hard to beat having zero side effects and letting your body do its own thing.

The Natural Cycles algorithm does not work to accurately track ovulation and therefore prevent pregnancy. Evidence based FAM/symptothermal methods use a '2 check method' including temperature and cervical fluid patterns. Natural Cycles only tracks your body temperature. After using for a few months I noticed my safe/green days changed after the date. So I had (what I thought was) safe unprotected sex in the non-fertile window, but then by the end of that cycle those days had changed to red/not safe. Surprise surprise, I got pregnant and had to arrange a termination. Since stopping this I have started using fertility awareness methods successfully for 4+yrs. Natural Cycles is just too risky without a 2 check method, and basing it on an algorithm.

After bragging about the natural cycles for a while, and following it religiously, checked everyday, noted everything, I fell pregnant twice. I was someone who was super regular as well, so the app knew my cycle very well. I thought the first was an outlier then it happened again. Stress, exercise or changes in the normal routine can change your natural cycle, so the app can’t see what’s going on inside your body. So, this method is great if you’re not worried about falling accidentally pregnant and having a baby. If not, use contraception.

Literally no side effects, no fake hormones affecting my body or mental health. Use symptothermal - 11 months in and find temping and checking cervical mucus easy and not at all laborious. We use condoms during fertile window (for me that’s usually about 9 days) and unprotected the rest of the time. No scares and I feel confident and secure with this method. I’ll never go back to hormonal birth control!

I developed a rare side effect on hormonal birth control (hormone mediated vestibulodynia) which I am finally feeling is mostly treated after almost 11 months off HBC. My libido is back and I feel so in touch with my body. Never going back!

You need to know what you are doing with this method (get a good educator to teach you) but once you’ve got a hang of it, it is such an awesome way to manage your fertility.

I follow taking charge of your fertility rules, track using Kindara app. I love no hormonal side effects, found it easy to detect ovulation and I’m enjoying learning about how my body works. We use condoms when I’m fertile which is around a week per cycle which has been totally fine and much better than I expected (having been on the pill for years!)

A very empowering contraceptive method that allows women to learn about their own bodies and to work around what's natural to avoid pregnancy. Any symptoms that I have listed such as migraines occur during PMS. I would highly recommend the Sensiplan method as it has a typical failure rate of just 2%, and a perfect use of 99.6%.

There are several methods under the symptothermal umbrella term, and efficacy rates are based on learning with an instructor. I learnt with an instructor from fertility UK, this was very affordable for a lifetime of cycle knowledge and a year of chart support. The method involves me taking my temperature upon waking and observing my cervical fluid throughout the day, recording this information on a chart which I use to work out my fertile and infertile days. This method is easy to use once you have learnt. The number of infertile days is very dependant on the individual users cycle, but I typically get ten days where I can go unprotected once I have confirmed ovulation and also four days at the beginning of my cycle available to use. The rest of my cycle would be considered my potentially fertile/fertile days, where barrier methods (reducing the efficacy to that of the barrier) or abstinence/non penis in vagina sex would be necessary. A consideration is that the altered sexual behaviour would have to have the sexual partners cooperation too, as they would also have to be willing to use a condom or have alternative sex on the fertile days. I personally have found this method very empowering, having real-time data of what my body is doing and fertility status, working with my cycle phases instead of fighting against them. Learning about my body and reproductive health in ways that are not talked about in society and it is knowledge that should no be hidden from menstruators.